1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.
2. Related Art
Printing apparatuses such as ink jet recording apparatuses, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2010-260341, are conventionally used for printing performed by applying ink on a flexible sheet-type recording or printing medium. The printing apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2010-260341 includes a transfer mechanism that transfers a printing medium, a plate-shaped platen, including a platen cover, that supports the transferred printing medium from the rear side (lower side), a head unit that applies an ink to the printing medium supported by the platen, and a heater that heats the printing medium and the ink deposited on the printing medium together to help the ink adhere to the printing medium. In this printing apparatus, the transfer mechanism includes a plurality of transfer rollers arranged in a direction intersecting the transfer direction of the printing medium, immediately upstream of the platen in the transfer direction.
The platen has a plurality of through holes that are open at the upper surface thereof and arranged in a staggered manner.
Printing media are expanded when heated in a printing apparatus. In the printing apparatus of the above cited patent document, the thermally expanded portion of the printing medium is likely to be bent and trapped between the transfer rollers. Unfortunately, this causes creases in the printing medium, resulting in some problem such as unclear printing or printing failure. Although the through holes of the platen suck the printing medium to flatten it, the bending or creases of the printing medium are not completely suppressed.